IL Magazine: Discover the Greatest Retirement Town +6 More SUBSCRIBE NOW AND SAVE 35% about subscribing to International Living Magazine International Living’s expat network is your key to a new life in a new country. Get real, honest advice from people just like you. Discover the tips, tricks, shortcuts, and strategies you can use to cut through red tape and improve your life overseas right away.
Read about and learn from real-life experiences our expats have had in their new home countries, from health care to taxes, earning an income overseas to buying real estate…and much more.
Learn more about the tips and tricks about living the good life abroad when you sign up for International Living Postcards. Simply enter your email below to subscribe to International Living’s free daily e-letter and we’ll immediately send you a free report—Retire in Luxury On Your Social Security Check.
Vietnam stretches for more than 1,100 miles from north to south, and the climate ranges from cool-weather pine forests in the Central Highlands and the far north to steamy tropical jungles in the south. You’ll find that any time of the year is a good time to see all that this geographically diverse country has to offer.
If you're like most retirees, you dream of spending your golden years in a peaceful and relaxing place with a beautiful setting. No more days spent rushing to the office or battling gridlocked traffic. You won't want to worry about sweltering summer days that keep you wrapped up tight in your air-conditioned house.
If you’re looking for a place where you can begin the next phase of your life in peace with the glories of nature all around you, you can do no better than Costa Rica. It has all the things you could wish for—awe-inspiring views, tropical rainforests, rambling rivers,
When I talk to folks at International Living conferences, I usually ask if they've figured out which overseas destination they're planning to move to. Many haven't...they're just exploring their options before they make their plans to retire.
Montevideo, Uruguay's capital city, has a culture that many North American expats find comfortable. It's a place where the traditional and the modern weave together. For example, Montevideo has a prosperous economy, but people still take time for one another. It has new gleaming malls, but it is also teeming with small family-owned shops. Each child in the country receives a free laptop computer, but time with family is still cherished above all else.
"I had only planned on living in Santa Marta for a year to improve my Spanish," explains Lisa Anderson, "but seven years and two daughters later I am loving my life here." It´s easy to understand why Lisa loves living in Colombia's up-and-coming Caribbean coastal city.
When I started freelancing over 15 years ago it was tough to get going, but the landscape back then was very different. I remember printing up business cards, and going to chamber of commerce meetings in an attempt to find clients that would need my services.
From Spanish, tranquilo roughly translates to "be calm," and in the beautiful town of Boquete...it's hard not to be. Boquete is a haven for expats, with magnificent scenery, an affordable cost of living, and a climate that's never too hot or never too cold. When asked by friends in the U.S. to describe it, only one word comes to mind...
After spending time visiting Central America, Shawn and Shena Lockwood decided that a permanent move there was the change they needed from their home in Utah. As passionate surfers, they wanted to live near the ocean and enjoy their favorite sport more regularly.
What a beautiful moment. Humpback whales weave through the crystal water as I tap away on my laptop. My friend takes a more ecstatic approach and jumps up and down, beckoning for my attention. I'm on Contadora Island, a one hour, 45-minute ferry-ride (or 20-minute flight) from Panama City.